WATCH: Leon Panetta Testifies Before Budget Process Committee

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget co-chair Leon Panetta testifies before the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform on Thursday, July 12, starting at 10:00 a.m.  Read his testimony here.

The hearing, entitled "Opportunities to Improve the Appropriations Process," is the fifth public hearing by the committee. Past hearings have looked at current challenges in the budget and appropriations process or discussed suggestions for improvement. The joint select committee is co-chaired by Representatives Steve Womack (R-AR) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) and is charged with recommending changes by November 30.

Secretary Panetta's written testimony is available here.

The witnesses are:

• The Honorable Leon Panetta – Co-Chair, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and Former Chairman of the House Budget Committee, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Secretary of Defense.

• The Honorable David Obey – Former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee

CRFB has done substantial work on budget process reform, including our recent recommendations to the JSC, paper on budget gimmicks Playing By the (Budget) Rules: Understanding and Preventing Budget Gimmicks and through the Better Budget Process Initiative.